The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-11-23
SIAM AND THE STAMESE.
STRANGE CUSTOMS IN THE LAND
OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT.
Six Miles of Floating Shops-W6r-
ship OF the White Elephant-A
Time OF Feasting.

Six Miles of Floating Shops-W6r~
ship Of the white EIephant-A
Time Of Feasting.
The population of Siam is estimated at
10, 600, 900, and of Bangkok at / 900, 600,
of whom well on to 200, coo are Chinese,
20, 200 Burmese, and as many Arabs and
Indians. To avoid the invasions Of
cholera the people have built on the river,
securing better cleanliness and ventila-
tion. Only the upper classes are allowed
to build on the banks. At night the
river is hung with thousands of covered
lights and lanterns of all shapes, sizes
and colors. A double row Of houses on
RATS, Of bamboo, extends for miles on
both sides of the river, so that the
Menam sself forms the main avenue,
over six miles long, of the floating shops,
the great bazaar of the river. Every day,
at sunrise, the shaven priests of Buddha,
90, 600 in number, visit every house along
the river, as the Little Sisters of the
Poor do the merchants of our cities, and
gather in the aims which are freely
offered. The boats of this floating popu-
lation, rs great as that of Cincinnati and
indianapolis combined. are of two kinds
"A Venetian gondola style for common
use, and square house and merchandise
boat with windows at the sides, and
also basket-covcred boat, long and
round, like the tent-top of a South Caro-
lima wagon. The Menam is the Nile of
the country. Down it come the great
timber RATS of pine; it leads up to the
home of the white elephant.
Siam is about thousand miles long
and 400 miles wide, formerly the middle
portion of the Indo-C Chinese peninsula.
1t is hilly, except the central rich plains
of the Menam. This river, 900 miles
long, floods in August, changing the
vast valley into an immense sea. The
towns are built universally on boats, and
at the flood in June, July, and August,
these look like the islands in an immense
sea. Boats, steamers, and native craft
ply from one town to another on the
lower valley without injury to the great
rice fields starting to grow beneath them.
The river is called in the royal archives
"Chow Phya," Royal Highness, and by
the people simply "AIenam," which
means, simply, river or mother of waters
just as South American people call the
Amazon Amazonas, which also means
river. The river is so bold and power
full it takes the natives over three months
to pole up to Chongmie, 500 miles to the
north, while the voyage down is made in
three weeks.
The mean temperature of BangkoG is
80 degrees, witt! a mean range of about
13 degrees. Few clothes are needed;
rice is the main food, with tropical
fruits, and so great population is easily
supported. The hot and wet season be-
gins in May; the dry season in July.
The weather in the dry season is like
that of the present summer here. In the
the wet season ii is impossible to keep
anything dry, not even the paper money,
which mainly for this reason has been
abandoned.
Miss Dows at one time attended the
capture and reception in Bangkok of q
white elephant. Her people, being de-
vout Buddhists, believe in metempsv.
Ghosts. The soul of each successive
I Boodha in its geological migrations
occupies in turn the forms of white
animals of a certain class-particularly
albinos and also the constantly white
animals, as the swan, the stork, the
white sparrow, the dove, the monkey
and the elephant, all peculiar to Siam.
In all the obscurity of their priests about
the subject one thing is agreed on-that
the forms of these noble and pure ami
mails are reserved for the souls of the
good and great, who find in them re-
demption from the baser animal life.
All white animals are held in reverence,
especially the white elephant, which is
believed to be animated with the spirit of
some king or hero. The white elephant
averts calamity and brings peace and
prosperity. Salmon or flesh color is rs
near as these albinos get to white but
still they are white enough to have
caused wars for their possession between
Siam and Burmah. The national standard
is white elephant on deep crimson
ground.
Discovered in the Shan country, or in
Northern Siam, the King is apprsed Of
the fact; the slave who finds the elephant
is made free and rich the elephant is de.
| coyed by Il female from the Jungle, led
into bamboo stoCkade, caught by ropes
about his legs, and soon subdued. The
march to the royal stable begins, and ten
or twelve miles day are travelled, which
is the average elephant speed. He is
brought to the Menam, fed with sweet
meats, put under royal pavilion, loaded
with golden chains, and enters Bangkok
in triumph. 1t is a time for fcasting
and week of holidays, ,-hdianapois
journal.